Glencoe World History Chapter 7 Africa

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Terms in this set (...)

the largest desert on Earth; south of the "mountainous fringe" on the north coast of Africa

desert, mild zone, rain forest, savanna

4 climate zones

Great Rift Valley

in eastern Africa; "mountains loom over deep canyons;" much of this grassland is populated by wild animals

Congo River

a river in southern Africa that runs through the Congo Basin

plateau

a relatively high, flat land area

Kalahari Desert

one of the largest deserts in Africa, in southern Africa

savanna

broad grassland "dotted with small trees and shrubs"

Nubia

Egypt traded with this area south of them, this area exported ivory, ebony, frankincense, and leopard skins

Kush

civilization in Africa that conquered Egypt; later driven out of the area by the Assyrians because their civilization was still using bronze weaponry; center was the city of Meroe

Axum

lead to the decline of Kush; located in present day Ethiopia; founded by Arabs; exported ivory, frankincense, myrrh, and slaves, and imported textiles, metal goods, wine, and olive oil; converted to Christianity then Islam

King Ezana

Axumite ruler; conquered Kush for control of the ivory trade; converted Axum to Christianity

Ghana

the first great trading state in West Africa; located in the upper NIger River valley; prospered from their possession of iron and gold; highly desired item was salt

Berbers

nomadic peoples whose camel caravans became known as "the fleet of the desert;" carried much trade across the desert

Mali

established by Sundiata Keita; rose in the place of Ghana after its collapse; most of its wealth was built and gold and salt; most of its people were farmers

Timbuktu

famous trading city

Mansa Musa

one of the richest and most powerful kings; doubled the size of Mali; created a strong central government and divided the kingdom into provinces ruled by governors whom he appointed; made a pilgrimage to Makkah

Sunni Ali

created a new dynasty, the Sunni; expanded Songhai; led an army

Muhammad Ture

the Songhai Empire reached the height of its power during his reign; military commander and devout Muslim; overthrew the son of Sunni Ali; created the Askia Dynasty, meaning usurper

Morocco

occupied Songhai and lead to its decline

Bantu

family of languages spoken in central and southern Africa; a member of any group of the African people who speak that language

subsistence farming

growing just enough crops for personal use, not for sale

Mogadishu, Mombasa, Kilwa

3 very successful trading ports

Ibn Battuta

Arab traveler that called Kilwa "one of the most beautiful towns in the world"

Swahili

a mixed African-Arabic culture that developed along the east coast of Africa; also, the major language used in that area, combining Bantu with Arabic words and phrases

Swahili

national language of Kenya and Tanzania (meaning "coast" in Arabic)

stateless society

a group of independent villages organized by clans and led by a local ruler or clan head

Zambezi River

north of grassland regions where a mixed economy of farming, cattle herding, and trade had developed

Zimbabwe

the wealthiest and most powerful state in South Africa; prospered from the gold trade with the Swahili trading communities

lineage groups

an extended family unit that has combined into a larger community

matrilineal

societies in which descent is traced through the mother

patrilineal

societies in which descent is traced through the father

diviners

people who believe they have the power to fortell events, usually by working with supernatural forces

Ife

the capital of the Yoruba people, produced bronze and iron statues

Benin

influenced by the artists of Ife; in West Africa

griots

special class of storytellers

Kushites

people that conquered Egypt in 633 B.C., used bronze and stone weapons, defeated Assyrians

Tsetse Fly

an insect that infected humans and animals with sleeping sickness

ancestors

A key in African religion was that they believed ________ were closer to the Gods

Shipwrecked Syrians

How was Christianity introduced into Axum

Myrrh and Frankincense

two aromatic tree resins

Fleets of the Desert

Berber camel caravans were known as what?

Salt

a highly desired trade item of the Ghanians

Ashanti

people of Ghanna that worshiped Nyame and a group of lesser Gods

Sundiata Keita

created the state of Mali, considered the "father" of his nation, defeated the Ghanaians, united the people, and instituted a strong government

Yoruba

a people in Nigeria that believed their chief God sent his son to earth in a canoe to create the first people